NARS Summer 2012 - review & swatches

NARS, we need to sit down and chat.  For reals.  I've been lusting after your Marie-Galante duo since seeing Liz of Cafe Makeup sport these colours back in April.  It's June now and I returned this palette a day after buying it.  Can you say D-I-S-A-P-P-O-I-N-T-E-D?  Arabian Nights I let slide, but Marie-Galante was not what I expected.  Shimmery purple and blue yes, but the colour payoff and texture was atrocious.  I really had to dig into the pan, we're talking serious elbow grease usage!  

Some bloggers seem to write sonnets of adoration for your shadow, but for me I'm considering to never buy another palette again.  They're expensive, gritty to the touch (when glitter's involved), fall out is an issue and I think there's more hype than performance. Never Say Never, for me, was your saving grace.  I kept the lip pencil, because it's a beautiful, berry-hued pink which dries matte.  The one downside was I found it to be more drying than New Lover and Mexican Rose; I think it comes down to different formulas in order to obtain different finishes. It's nothing a little lip balm can't fix.

NARS Marie-Galante

Marie-Galante Swatches

Never Say Never

Never Say Never

NARS blushes and lippies will continue to be a part of my collection, but you can keep the shadows.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for NARS Velvet Lip Pencil and Eyeshadow Duo:

• $39.00 and $55.00 AUS - special thanks to Melbourne Central's Mecca Maxima for giving me a full refund.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 8 out of 10 bags for Never Say Never and 1 out of 10 bags for Marie-Galante; the latter was a huge miss for me.

Likelihood to purchase again:

• Thakoon for NARS could get me to come around again.  Will these be dropping in Australia soon?

Essie's Decadent Diva - weekly nail review

I did a little hunting and came back with conflicting news, is it Decadent Diva or Decadent Dish? Or, has it gone by both names?  The world may never know, but Google came back with results for both. If you're looking for a colour similar to root beer barrels, then Decadent Diva is the perfect match. Essie's captured Autumn in a bottle; chocolate brown with burnt red micro glitter that's so small you won't notice it until the light hits it just right.

Decadent Diva

The leaves have fallen, I've seen days of rain and it's not getting any warmer.  Pour a bit of Decadent Diva to help warm your soul this winter.

Maybelline Silken Taupe

Do you LOVE Burberry's Pale Barley, but hate the price tag?  Then look no further than Maybelline's Silken Taupe.  I'm a sucker for neutrals; they are easy to apply, forgiving, can be worn alone or used to enhance an overall eye look. Maybelline's version retails between $3.00-$7.00 AUS, whereas Burberry shadows sell for $45.00 AUS.  If you're looking for a steal, get ye to your local Priceline.  

Maybelline's Silken Taupe

The Pan

The lineup

Can you tell how much I love that champagne shimmer? Honestly, I was surprised to see how they looked next to each other after swatching; beige can be complex, if you want it to be.

Swatches

• MAC's Shroom - light cream satin shadow with a subtle shimmer
• Gorgeous's Sand Shimmer - beige loose powder with peachy undertones
• Burberry's Pale Barley - brownish taupe shadow peppered with gold
• Maybelline's Silken Taupe - see above :)
• MAC's Palladium - Silvery beige cream shadow with a hint of gold

So, where do you draw the line?  Does it come down to quality, price, brand, performance or all of the above?  With Burberry, I know I paid for quality and the name; their shadows are finely milled, soft to the touch and last well with primer.  Maybelline is soft and silky, but I had to work hard for the colour payoff seen above.

What would you do if you had to choose?

College Nicole would say "Maybelline!"

Adult Nicole ponders "why not buy both?!"

Face of Australia's Sheer Gloss Lip Crayon - swatches and review

Dupey, Dupey, Dupe. Something tells me Face of Australia might reconsider selling these babies as a limited edition release.  I first spotted FOA's Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons (set of three) at my local Priceline last week; I was really there to check out Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, alas, they haven't been shipped to Australia yet.  However, I had stars in my eyes when I fixed my gaze on these.  And the price isn't too shabby either.

Always on the pursuit for the next best thing while maintaining some sort of grasp on my purse strings, dupes are definitely a good thing in my book.  Imitation is considered to be the sincerest form of flattery - for lip crayons it started with Clinique's Chubby Stick, then Tarte came a'knocking with Lipsurgence lip tint and now Revlon's coming to the party too.  The four of these options are wind up, goof-proof and super easy to use - but, there's always a but, they vary in price. Chubby Sticks sell for a whopping $35 AUS / $16 USD, Tarte sells their version for $24 USD (I'm guessing they'd hover around the same price as Clinique's if they were to be sold here in Aus.) and Revlon's latest release goes for $8ish USD.

How did Face of Australia's stack up?  While I can only compare based on my personal experience and after reading plenty of other bloggers' reviews for the rest - pretty darn well.  The only thing I didn't enjoy was the sickly sweet scent of vanilla they gave off; the scent is superficial, as it faded away after a minute or so.

FOA Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons

Sundae, Cupcake and Macaron

• Sundae is a warm caramel brown, but makes me think of raisins too.  I'm getting hungry!
• Cupcake is a light, warm-hued pink; the colour resembles that of Bazooka bubble gum.
• Macaron reminds me of maraschino cherry juice; drats, your brother left the empty jar in the fridge again!

Wearing Cupcake

Wearing Macaron

Wearing Sundae

Face of Australia's Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons last for about two hours or so; when the sheen disappeared I was left with a wash of colour.  You don't need a mirror and they can even be applied on the go (which I've been known to do).  

Last, I can't stress this enough, apply chapstick first - my lips have resembled the Arctic Tundra as of late, not v. cute. Hey, it's "winter".

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Face of Australia's Sheer Gloss Lip Crayons:

• $14.95 AUS for the set

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9.5 out of 10 bags – I had to take off a little for the scent.  They're now a staple in my purse.

Likelihood to purchase again:

• Keep it up Face of Australia, these are on trend and I will be back for more.